How will Chris Godwin’s ACL injury impact his free agency?
Former Penn State wide receiver Chris Godwin didn’t just see his team lose on Sunday night in the NFL’s Sunday Night Football game. He also saw his season come to an end. Godwin suffered a torn ACL in Tampa Bay’s loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night, bringing a premature end to his season at potentially the worst possible time of his career.
Initially, it was reported Godwin had suffered a sprained MCL, which was still expected to end his season as a result of the severity of the injury. But any chance of returning for a potential Bucs run back to the Super Bowl was eliminated with the follow-up report that Godwin’s injury was more severe than initially feared. The injury being downgraded to a torn ACL means that injured reserve was removed as a possibility and Godwin’s season was effectively brought to an end due to the recovery time needed for an ACL injury compared to a sprained MCL.
#Bucs WR Chris Godwin, who suffered an MCL sprain, is expected to miss the rest of the regular season, source said. With three games left, Injured Reserve makes sense. Godwin should be able to return for the playoffs, which obviously is most important.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 20, 2021
The MRI came back on WR Chris Godwin and its worse than imagined. He’s out for the year with a torn ACL.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 20, 2021
There is never a good time for this type of injury, naturally, but the timing of this all is even more unfortunate for Godwin. Godwin is a free agent at the end of this season. After the Bucs won the Super Bowl last season, Godwin had hoped to be able to work out a long-term deal with Tampa Bay in the offseason. Instead, Godwin was placed on the franchise tag for the 2021 season.
Chris Godwin a free agent this off-season. https://t.co/4qhEvM1Aun
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 20, 2021
When we last reacted to Godwin’s contract situation in the offseason, I made note of the risk that comes with not being able to land a long-term deal. Now, unfortunately, this situation has arisen for Godwin;
Of course, the risk of holding off talks on a long-term deal is Godwin could be hampered by an injury that may cause the Bucs to think differently about his future with the organization. Just ask former Nittany Lion DaeSean Hamilton how that can go.
If you need a reminder of what happened to DaeSean Hamilton, he was waived by the Denver Broncos in May after Hamilton suffered a torn ACL in the offseason. But Godwin may still have a better financial outlook than his former teammate, Hamilton because there is more proven on the field that Godwin can rely on.
From @NFLGameDay Kickoff: #Bucs WR Chris Godwin tore his ACL and MCL heading into a free agent year, but history shows he could still cash in on big bucks. pic.twitter.com/Bze8dCsssd
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 20, 2021
A torn ACL can typically keep a player off the field for about a year. Former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley just went through this over the past couple of years after suffering a torn ACL early in the 2020 season and returning in time for the start of the 2021 season.
We’ll keep tabs on Godwin’s status moving into an interesting offseason.
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